Album review: No higher aspirations for Solid Star’s ‘Grace and glory’

by Wilfred Okiche

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There is one fleeting moment in ‘Grace and glory’, Solid Star’s unnecessarily long second album which a good number of music heads had hoped will be a thrilling session. It occurs in ‘Halle’, a vocoder assisted mid tempo run through of his struggles as an up and comer. Solid Star’s tentative vocal breeze is perfectly suited to the light drums applied here as he drawls lazily: ‘Everybody wan know me now/ record labels wan sign me now.”

Good for him but bad for us as the disc begins to go south after this okayish intro. Masterkraft shows up for the instantly forgettable ‘Worry me’, another (sub) standard variation of every inane pop song released this year. And so continues the unfortunate decline.

There was a glimmer of hope on the track, ‘Oluchi’, the JSleek produced duet with highlife prince, Flavour. Both acts found common ground and soldiered the song to it’s throbbing, hard-to-dislike babble chanting ending but this song probably would not stand out on a better album. Other mild highs are the established hits, ‘Omotena’ and dance floor favourite ‘Skibo’.

He tries to pack the album with danceable pop numbers but this approach fails miserably as song after song builds to a disappointing record. Which is why it is not surprising to see the Eva assisted dance hall slowburner ‘I’m sorry’ creep in unannounced with a steamy verse from the femcee.  It would be totally unremarkable though absent Eva’s sexy presence. Ditto ‘Perfect girl’ without the Jesse Jagz and Vector assistance.

There are no greater aspirations to ‘Grace and glory’- apart from boring the listening public with another dead on arrival album. Making a reductive, repetitive album and applying a style that has been  done to death by the current litter of pop stars hardly stands anyone apart. Anyone with access to in demand producers, guest appearances and a vague knowledge of today’s music scene will make exactly the same record Solid Star has presented.

Safe. Lazy. Lengthy. Unnecessary.

Did we mention boring?

No guts. No grace. No glory.

 

– The writer tweets from @drwill20

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